Recommended Diet for Guinea Pigs

HAY

80-90% of a guinea pig’s should be hay. Provide UNLIMITED access to fresh high-quality hay 24/7. Soiled hay should be changed out daily.

  • Juvenile guinea pig (up to 6 months): Alfalfa Hay
  • Adult guinea pig (6 months +): Timothy Hay

PRO TIP: “Oxbow” and “Small Pet Select” offer a variety of high quality hays (oat, botanical, orchard) if you would like to offer diverse flavors and textures in addition to western timothy hay.

LEAFY GREENS & VEGETABLES

10% of a guinea pig’s diet should be green leafy vegetables. Organic vegetables (no pesticides) are recommended whenever possible. Always remove seeds as these are a choking risk.

  • Juvenile guinea pigs: can start to have small amounts of vegetables introduced into their diet at 2 months old. Vegetables should be introduced gradually, one per week, so that you can monitor for sensitivity or stomach upset. If any vegetable seems to cause digestive problems do not feed it in the future.
  • Adult guinea pigs: can have 1/2 cup (a small pinch) of leafy greens and 1 tablespoon of non-leafy green vegetables per day.

You can feed up to 1/2 cup of green leaf, red leaf and butter leaf lettuces daily. Other leafy greens like romaine, spinach, kale, turnip greens, dandelion greens, arugula, bok choy, and watercress and herbs like cilantro, basil, parsley, mint, and dill can be offered for variety 1-3 times per week.

You can also feed 1 tablespoon of the following non leafy vegetables: bell peppers, celery (remove veins or cut into small pieces), cucumber, green beans. Feed broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts and radishes only occasionally.

If your guinea pigs poops become small, dark, or smelly this amount should be reduced to every other day or 3 times per week. Read this: “Guide to Guinea Pig Poop“.

FORTIFIED PELLETS

5% of a guinea pig’s diet should be fortified food pellets.

  • Juvenile guinea pigs: 1 tablespoon of pellets per day.
  • Adult guinea pigs: 2 tablespoons of pellets per day.

FRUITS

Less than 5% of a guinea pigs diet can be fruits and treats. Guinea pigs shouldn’t get more than 1-2 teaspoon size servings of fruits per week. That’s about the size of 1 strawberry or 1 baby carrot PER WEEK.

Carrots, apple, berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), orange, banana, pear, grapes (cut), kiwi, mango, papaya, peach, pineapple, apricot, tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe.

Always remove seeds and pits. Offer watery fruits like watermelon and cantaloupe sparingly as they can cause diarrhea.

WE RECOMMEND: “OXBOW“, “SMALL PET SELECT“, “SCIENCE SELECTIVE“, or “SHERWOOD

Oxbow
Selective Naturals
Sherwood
Small Pet Select Healthy Snackers
Small Pet Select Herbal Blends

Avoid: nuts, seeds, corn, grains, dairy, fillers, artificial colors and added sugars.

“Mix” pellets and treats with seed and corn can lead to chocking and malnutrition due to selective eating. The first ingredient listed for pellets should be timothy hay for adult guinea pigs or alfalfa hay for young guinea pigs.

What Happens if a Guinea Pig Doesn't Get Enough Vitamin C?

Scurvy is a painful and sometimes fatal disease that can occur to guinea pigs if they don’t get enough Vitamin C. Like humans, guinea pigs are unable to synthesize their own Vitamin C so it very important their caretakers provide it in their diet.

Symptoms: tiredness/lethargy (unwilling to move around as much as usual, disinterest in surroundings), problems with wounds / healing, bruising, small red dots on the gums and other areas of skin (petechiae), bleeding gums, decreased appetite / anorexia, difficulty eating, weight loss, diarrhea, swollen joints, rough fur, joint swelling, bumble foot, and increased susceptibility to infections. If untreated, can affect skeletal / tooth development, leading to brittle bones and dental problems.

Guinea pigs need about 10-20mg of Vitamin C daily to prevent scurvy, a disease caused by a deficiency of this essential nutrient. One of the easiest ways to ensure your guinea pigs get enough vitamin C is by feeding them one or two 1/2-inch slices of bell pepper each day. While all bell peppers are good sources of vitamin C, red peppers contain the highest amount. Always remove the seeds from the peppers to avoid choking hazards.

Other natural sources of vitamin C include tomatoes (ensure only the fruit is given, not the leaves or plant), kale, spinach, asparagus, mustard greens, turnip greens, red and green leaf lettuce, broccoli, zucchini, apples (with skin), oranges, and strawberries. Incorporating a variety of these foods into your guinea pigs’ diet can help meet their nutritional needs and promote overall health.

You can also offer “Oxbow Vitamin C Supplement” or “Sherwood Vitamin C Supplement“.

Sherwood Vitamin C
Oxbow Vitamin C

It is not recommended to supplement vitamin C through water. Vitamin C degrades very quickly when exposed to light and after 8hrs it is estimated that the amount of active vitmain C in the water is only 20% of the original amount added. So while the supplemented water bottle may have the correct dose in the morning, later in the day the vitamin C will have degraded. Some guinea pigs also don’t like the smell and taste of supplemented water so they may drink less and become dehydrated. This can cause further health problems like UTI’s.

NEVER FEED YOUR GUINEA PIG:

Meat, animal products (eggs / dairy), cat / dog food. Chocolate, seeds / nuts, peanut butter, muesli, cereal, oatmeal, rice, bread, cookies, crackers. Avocado, Swiss chard / silverbeet, iceberg lettuce, rhubarb, onions, garlic, chives, shallots, potato and tomato tops/leaves, eggplant, cauliflower, parsnips, raisins, fruit pits/seeds.

If your guinea pig has eaten one of the above, speak to your vet immediately. Some can cause death in a matter of hours.